As soon as my talk at Sunday’s Isle of Wight Studio Glass Collectors’ Day was over, I hopped in my car and sped off to catch the ferry back to the mainland. The reason for the unusual rush? The next day was the first day of filming for the 34th series of the Antiques Roadshow, […]
Last weekend I had the great privilege of being invited to talk at the fourth annual ‘Studio Day’ at Isle of Wight Studio Glass. These days are always incredible fun, as well as hugely educational. Everyone is relaxed, the sun is usually shining, and Elizabeth and Timothy Harris, and the entire studio staff, make the […]
Last week I attended the wonderful Antiques For Everyone Fair at the NEC, Birmingham, along with Judith Miller. Held three times a year, it’s the largest vetted fair in the UK, attracting hundreds of dealers, and tens of thousands of buyers and collectors. This time around, Judith and I had been asked to help with […]
Last Saturday saw the launch of the first ever exhibition and book dedicated to Caithness Glass and the work of its co founder and first designer Domhnall ÓBroin. Over 300 pieces of glass from the Cooley Collection were beautifully displayed at Broadfield House Glass Museum, covering fifty years of world-renowned design since the company was […]
I’ve never been a prize before, let alone a first prize! Last Thursday, Judith Miller and I visited the Bath Decorative & Antiques Fair to give a personal tour of the fair to 6 of their competition winners. They also received a bottle of vintage champagne, and a free Miller’s book. One lucky couple also […]
#TT #antiquesroadshow #antiquestweetshow – all these hash tags and more were flying around the internet last night as Antiques Roadshow became one of the top topics being talked about across the world on Twitter for the first time. Of course, a large percentage of the tweets were from people questioning why it was trending, thus […]
Since the nationwide National Antiques Week campaign last November, I’ve had a lot of emails asking me where the chair I’m sitting on in the poster (below) came from. That particular example is owned by the photographer who took the shot, Graham Rae, but I’m delighted to say that if you like it, it’s not […]
It’s not that I’ve been lazy since the New Year (doesn’t that seem like a long time ago?!) with my blog. It’s just that my time has been completely taken up with my next book – on Caithness Glass. Although planning started over two years ago, for various reasons I wasn’t able to start it […]
With Kate & William’s wedding looming, I’ve been interviewed a fair few times over the past few weeks about what royal wedding memorabilia I like, and which ones I think will be collectable in the future. I don’t collect royal memorabilia, and I knew few people in their 20s or 30s that do, however it […]
A quick, but important, one here. On my trip to Novy Bor, I was taken to the Crystalex factory shop. A selection of ‘interesting’ decorative pieces and tableware was available, but the things that caught my eye were those in the photos below. The collectors amongst you will recognise the glass in the first photo […]
It’s not often that you get to meet the people behind the designs you collect, even though there’s more of a chance with postwar pieces. While I was in Novy Bor, I was lucky to meet Karel Wünsch, one of the best and most innovative postwar Czech glass designers who is globally renowned for his […]
If you’re wondering what I’m looking so fondly at, you’ll need to buy a copy of this month’s BBC Homes & Antiques to find out. And I can guarantee that it’s not a question mark! The feature I’m in could be titled ‘An antique is for life, not just for Christmas’, as it reveals the […]